Coupling



Apnl 7, 1925. 1,532,564

G. A. von SODEN-F'RAUNHOFEN couruua l"i1bd Aug. 13. 1921 fieulty of manufacture, if a tolerably gool Pstcemited Apze 7, I92

GRAF ALFRED von SO'DEN-IE'RAUNHOIEEN, 021 FRIEDPIICHSHAEEN, GERMAI\TY AS- smmm wo ZAENRADFABZRIK AKTIEN-GESELLSCHAFT, OZE FRIEDRICHSEAFEN',

GEREKANY. A

' covrx.me.

Application flle. August 13, 192 1. Sexia1 N0. 492,145.

' (GRAN1ED vmms wir. 1 noms1ofls 01 T1 sm sczc 0m xvmncs 331921, 41 sms@ z.., 1313.

T0 all w7z0m z't mag concern:

Be it known that I, GRAF ALFRED VON SODEN-FRAUNIIOFEN, a citizen of Germany, residing at Friedrichshafen a. B., Germany, have invented certain new and usefu1 Improvements in Couplings (for which I have filed applioation in Germany November 22, 1919, and February 28, 1920), of which the following is a specifieation.

My invention relates to couplings and more especially to a coupling for use with change speed gears.

In order to save space one has already made use of part of the Width of spur-wheel teeth for the purposes of -coupling. Up to the present hovvever, in 'most cases. an internal gearing more 01 lass corresponding t0 the spur-gearing was made use of as a counter piece. An arrangement of this kind involves the esse1'1tial disadvantages conneted. with all internal gear, particularly the diffit is w be obtained. New und ben indeed tha't advantage has been relinquished a'i; the eost of durbility er reliability and f0r each single tooth a, counterpiece eonsisting of a circular 01' semicircular gap was designed. By this means, however, only a highly unsatisfactory fit, limited in most Gases to single points, between Spur whee1 and counterpiece could. be obtained.

I avoid these drawbaeks by designing the counterpiece in such a manner thata plurality of the teeth of the Spur wheel, formp ing part of the coupling, is made to gear into a common cylindrical bore of the counterpiece. In proceeding thus, the 1'1umber of teeth enelosedby eaeh bore and the curvature 0f the bore, being approximately semieylindrical, are t0 be chosen in such a way that the cylindribal curvature at least approxirhates the flang curve of' the spur wheel gearing.

In this manner a light and abo-ve all a cheap couplin'g of a very comp'act design is obtai ned. By rounding ofl the sing1e teeth of the Spur whee1 in a manner already well known and hollowing 0ut the oylindrical bore as W611 es providing a suitalole engaging and disengaging deviee the coupling may in addition be made capable of being .easi1y thrown into am]. out of gear.

'Now it is we11 known that such coup]ings,

w hen under 1oad, and especially when an accurate fit without any mutual p1ay sha1l be attained, as is required for eouplings of this kind, are 0111 with difl'iculty thrown into gear. Accord1ng to 'the present inven- :tion the action 0f eascily engaging the coup- 11ng has been rendered possible by setting back in regular turn part of the teeth of the toothed wheel o-n its side facing the coupling rim. In this way gaps are formed in place of these teeth allowing the teeth of -the coupling rim a certain play whilst under the efl'ect 01 the load, which is never of an entirely uniformcharacter, until by means of the still a-etive engaging-pressure they are fu1ly thr0wn into gear. At the same time the drivingpart, being under the influence of' the torsiona1 moment, Will app1y itse1f against the full tooth next sucoeeding in the directi0n of rotation, which fernes .a onesided guide and thus induoes a sliding and catching motion 1eading U.p 150 its being ful- 1y thrown into gear. By this means a reliab1e way of attaining this end. isfound without' any trouble, at the same time-great- 1y favouring the preservation *0f the material. F01 the action of entering into the first st-ep proceeds at once in consequence 0f the 1arge space existing between the teeth, Whieh take an active part in it, whilst already acomparativel-y large area is providad -f01 the transmissidn 0f powen Thus 011 the one band. any excessivework oh the art of ehe outer ends of the teeth is zweided, whilst als the same time an easy engaging action is ensured in eonsequenoe 0f the small amount of friction.

In the drawings aifixed to-this specification two modifications of a, couplmg embodying my invecntion 2ue illustrated by way cf example. In the drawings Fig. 1 is an axial section, showing the coupling in a disengaged stete;

Fig. 2 is a similar vieW 0f the eoupling thrown into gear, while Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one half of the coupling;

Figs. 4 and 5 are sections, taken at right angles, of another modifieation.

-Referring to the dirawin*gs, shaft 1 sarries a spur Wheel 2 keyed 0n 120 it the' teeth cf Which are partly o0 be used as a means 1Eor ooupling it bo a seoond shafi; 3. F01

this purpose the internally i%oothed clutch mernber 4, fixed upon shaft 3 by a. square, is' rovided with a number of semicyhndrical separated, in Fig. 2 in their coupled state.

The manner of engaging them is represented in Fig. 3. 'Ihis figure shows the internally toot-hed clutcli.member 4 as viewed in the direction of arrow 7, and in dotted 1ines a partial view of the "gearing of spur wheel 2 engaged t it.

The curvature of the.fiank of two teeth embraced by the cylinder* agrees Wall with the cylindncal curve. In accordmce with the'width of the pitch, a. grezmter number of teeth may be enolosed with avantage or the semi-cylinder may He reduced in siz6 by somewhjat mo'rethan one half or increased by more than one half. F01 the purpose of more easily engaging and disengiaging them the teeth of wheel 2 have been rounded. off und the teieth somewhat hollowed out. In thia modificationdisclosed' in Figs. 4 and 5 the throwing into gear 0f the coupling is facilitated by setting' back every second toot-h of che spur Wheel.

The counter piece d, being provided with an internal gear, whieh corresponds to the construqtion slownin.Figs.; 1 bo 3 has "been deiSigned in such a ma'nner tha. every seoond tooth being omitte'd,=thegaps cou- Si st 'of cylindrical bores. The throwing into gear is a'ccomplishedby' at first only making fhe teeh b of wheel a catch the inner gear of clutch member Though *'already thrown into gear, the coupling is still'al lowed a lay co'rrespondin'g to the-size 0 the g.ps etween two teetl1'b. Y T

In accordanoia with the direction; of 'the rotation, the teeth b will applythemselves against one 01' the 0ther flank 0f the teeth of the internal gear.

Whilst the coupling is being further pushed together, theteeth b are sliding along the teeth 0I theinternal g'ear, thus allow ing the catching -action of the teeth o to accomplish without any troub1e thefina'l rigid coupling.

I claim:

1. In a coupling in mmbination, a spur wheel, an internally toothed clutch member,

forming the coupling members, means for moving-said clutch' member in and out of intermeshing relation with said. spn'r wheel,:

the te eth on said member being sopropor tioned*, that the gaps between the teeth 0f sa.id internally toothed clu tch member embrace each more than one tooth of said spunwheel.

2. In a coupling in combination, a.- spur whee1, and an internally tothed clutch memher, forming the coupling members and means for moving said internally toobned clutch member in and out of intermeshing relation with said spur wheel, the teeth on said m'embers being so proportioned, that a. gap in said internally toothed clutch men1- her embraces more than one tooth of said Spur wheel.

. In wcoupling in combination, a spur wheel, and an internally t0gtned crutch memberand provided with substantially semicylindrical gaps forming the coupling rnembers and means for movmg saidi'nterhally-toothed c1utch member in and out of intermeshing relatio1i With said spurwheel, the teeth on said members being so proportioned, thab a gap in said internally toothed clutch member embraces more:than one tooth of said spur whe6l.

. 4. In a coupling in combination, a. Spur *whee1, and an internally toothed clutch membar provided with substantially semicylin- 'drical gaps farming the coupling members und means for moving said internally tooth- 0d clutch member in and out of intermeshing relation with said spur Wheel, .the teeth on said members bein so pzop0rtioned, that a g'ap insaidinternalIy toothed clutch mem ber embraces more than c=ne tooth of said spur -wheel andits curvature approximately corrsponds to the curvature of the flanks of said teeth.

' 5. Ina couplihg in combination, a spur wheel, alternate teeth 011 said Wheel being recessedand. an internally toothed clutch member, said spur Wheel an'. internally toothed clutch member forming the coupling members and means for moving said internally toothed clutch member in and out of intermeshing relation With said Spur wheel. the teeth 'in said members being so proportiened, that the gaps between the GRAF ALFRED VON SODEN-FRAUNHOFEN. 

